The Ohio minimum wage is $11.00 per hour as of January 1, 2026, for most non-tipped employees. Tipped workers have a base rate of $5.50 per hour, and small businesses with annual gross receipts of $405,000 or less may pay the federal minimum of $7.25 instead.1Department of Commerce. Ohio Minimum Wage Set to Increase in 20262Ohio.gov. 2026 Minimum Wage Poster The rate rose 2.8% from the 2025 figure of $10.70, reflecting the annual inflation adjustment required by the Ohio Constitution.
Who Gets the $11.00 Rate
The $11.00 standard rate covers any employee of a business with annual gross receipts above $405,000, provided the worker does not customarily receive more than $30 per month in tips.2Ohio.gov. 2026 Minimum Wage Poster The requirement sits in Section 34a of Article II of the Ohio Constitution, which voters approved and which the legislature cannot override.
If you earn less than $11.00 per hour and your employer doesn’t qualify for one of the exceptions below, you’re being underpaid and can recover the difference.
Tipped Employees
Tipped workers in Ohio must receive a base wage of at least $5.50 per hour in 2026, plus tips.2Ohio.gov. 2026 Minimum Wage Poster The $5.50 figure is half the standard minimum wage, which is what the Ohio Constitution permits for workers who customarily receive tips.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Constitution Article II Section 34a – Minimum Wage The remaining $5.50 is expected to come from customer tips, an arrangement called the tip credit.
Your base pay and tips combined must average at least $11.00 for every hour you work. If a slow shift or light tipping leaves you short, your employer has to make up the difference. The guarantee is per pay period, not per week or per shift.
Small Business Exception
Businesses with annual gross receipts of $405,000 or less may pay the federal minimum of $7.25 per hour instead of the state rate.2Ohio.gov. 2026 Minimum Wage Poster The threshold is based on the previous calendar year’s revenue and adjusts each year along with the wage itself. The test looks at total gross receipts, not headcount, so a small operation with a handful of workers may still cross the line if its revenue does.
Workers under 16 can also be paid the federal $7.25 rate regardless of how large their employer is.2Ohio.gov. 2026 Minimum Wage Poster
Workers Not Covered at All
Some employees fall outside Ohio’s minimum wage protections entirely. Family members working for a solely family-owned and operated business are exempt by the terms of the Ohio Constitution itself.3Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Constitution Article II Section 34a – Minimum Wage
Salaried executive, administrative, and professional employees are also exempt from both minimum wage and overtime, provided they earn at least $684 per week (about $35,568 per year) on a salary basis and perform qualifying management or professional duties.4U.S. Department of Labor. Earnings Thresholds for the Executive, Administrative, and Professional Exemptions Meeting the salary alone isn’t enough; your actual job duties also have to fit the exemption.
Overtime at the Minimum Wage
Ohio requires one and a half times your regular rate for every hour over 40 in a workweek.5Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4111.03 – Overtime Compensation At the $11.00 minimum, that works out to at least $16.50 per overtime hour. The same exemptions that apply under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act apply here, so executive, administrative, professional, outside sales, and certain computer-related roles don’t qualify for overtime. Agricultural employees are excluded by state law.
If You’re Being Paid Less Than the Minimum
You can file a complaint with the Ohio Department of Commerce, Bureau of Wage and Hour Administration, which investigates unpaid minimum wages, unpaid overtime, unauthorized deductions, and withheld final paychecks.6Ohio Department of Commerce. Minimum Wage Complaint Complaints can go in online or by mail, email, or fax. Include copies of pay stubs and time records rather than originals. Your name is kept confidential unless disclosure becomes necessary and you consent.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4111.14 – Implementing Constitutional Minimum Wage Authority
The deadline is three years from the date of the violation, or three years from the date an ongoing violation stopped. If you filed a state complaint first, you get an extra year after the state notifies you of its final decision, whichever is later.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4111.14 – Implementing Constitutional Minimum Wage Authority
If you win, you get your unpaid back wages plus an additional amount equal to twice those wages in damages.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4111.14 – Implementing Constitutional Minimum Wage Authority If an employer shorted you $2,000, the total recovery can reach $6,000. You generally don’t owe attorney’s fees or court costs unless a court finds the claim frivolous.
Retaliation is separately prohibited. If your employer fires, demotes, or otherwise punishes you for raising a wage issue or filing a complaint, you can recover at least $150 for each day the retaliation continued, plus any other relief a court orders.7Ohio Legislative Service Commission. Ohio Revised Code 4111.14 – Implementing Constitutional Minimum Wage Authority